After the Game
by timelordpsychopath
Summary: [Post - Last of the Time Lords] Lucy Saxon never got to fire the trigger on the Valiant that day. Now the Master must go on with whatever the Doctor has in store for him. Taken aboard the TARDIS, he realizes the Doctor's intent as soon as he brings out the fob watch strapped to the chameleon arch, promising a new life. {Rated T for kicks, just to be on the safe side.}


Disclaimer: I do not own BBC or their characters. Only the extension of my imagination.

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_"You still haven't answered the question. What happens to me?" The Master was sincerely curious; losing was not a part of his plan especially in this sense, which begged the thought, what now…_

_"You're my responsibility from now on. The only Time Lord left in existence."_

_"Yeah, but you can't trust him." Of course Captain Jack just had to intervene, the annoying prick was another one at fault for the Master's failed getaway._

_"No. The only safe place for him is the TARDIS." What— No, that's not right._

_"You mean, you're just gonna… keep me?" He questioned keeping his face expression blank though his stomach dropped at the thought of being kept like an animal by the Doctor._

_"If that's what I have to do. It's time to change. Maybe I've been wandering for too long. Now I've got someone to care for." _

Silly, silly, Doctor. It was always the Doctor and his stupid plans that never work; well, not for them, either of them. How many life times will it take before that idea gets out of his thick head? Apparently, he continued to dream of a life possible where they would travel together for eternity, what a dream that was. But it was too late; it was far too late for that, wait—

"_Jack the gun!"_

_"Got it!" _

_"Whoa… easy there… " The Captain removed the weapon from poor little Lucy's delicate stone hard hands, the gun aimed at the villain._

Now here sat the Master after the scene, in the back room of the Valiant, waiting, left to dwell in his thoughts and reminiscing over what had happened. _What went wrong_? He lost. What surprised him greatly was the fact his own wife was to be the cause of his 'death,' should she have been left unnoticed. _That_ could have been his chance as his final victory. Alas, he was stuck with the Doctor, with the chance to face his wrath or forgiveness. Perhaps both. Either or, they were not to be looked forward to.

If the Doctor thought the Master was going to cooperate for _one second_ he was wrong, there will not be one moment he wasn't planning on an escape, scheming a plot to eliminate the Doctor, taking control of the TARDIS and flinging it to the nearest sun along with them. No, he will not give in to this 'healer's' tricks and false hope, that chance was long passed, years ago, it's too late now; well, for the Master. Why can't the Doctor see that? He is blinded by lose, that of the of the Time Lords and only caring for the Master as recompense for what he did! Or at least, that's how the Master regarded it.

The Time Lord shifted uncomfortably while keeping a straight face, playing with his hands behind his back, testing the cuffs, which were now cutting into his wrists. He gave out a soft sigh leaning his head to the side in restlessness, only glancing back at the door of the ship to which the Doctor had gone through a while back, time has lost its meaning by now anyway, irrelevant; no point in keeping track.

Only then while lost in contemplation did the Doctor decide to make an appearance, perched against the doorway of the TARDIS.

"Are you ready?"

The Master huffed out with an amused air to him, as if he had much of a choice. He stood then after, accompanied by his captor as he was led through the doors of the ship he once had control over, now a prisoner. His eyes fell upon the center of the console, no wonder the Doctor took his time before departing, he had to disconnect all that belonged to the Master's creation, the paradox machine, which was completely destroyed and discarded by now.

The action that caught the Master off guard was his old enemy, removing the handcuffs. That made no connection in his mind as to why he would commit such a senseless act, "What are you doing…" he questioned before he could stop himself, curiosity and suspicion getting the better of him. "You won't be needing those anymore." Was all he got in response as he was guided around the console to reveal his fate. The Chameleon Arch.

"What—" He stopped short eyeing the device, recognizing it immediately, "No," he shook his head, "Not a chance." He sneered taking a step back, away from the man and the machine, "I know what that does and there's no way I'm going through that." He was trapped, one way or another the Doctor would get to him, the TARDIS would make sure of it, but why, not this, it's far too degrading for his namesake.

The Doctor was having none of it; there would be no argument, "Take it, Master." His voice was firm leaving no room for quarrel, "This is the only way I can be sure to watch over you and perhaps grant you a second chance. I can't lose you to anymore of this war between us. I told you, times have changed, and I need you to see that. It's this or prisoner forever."

"I'm a prisoner either way, one is simply more demeaning."

"I didn't want to have to do this but you left me no choice."

"You didn't even give me a chance Doctor."

"No." The Doctor answered with an edge, "I can't do that, no chances, not this time, I already know what's going to happen, it always happens, you cause chaos and I have to fix it. This time, I'm preventing any of that from happening and fixing the problem where we are now before it escalates further."

The Master kept up a scowl, only relaxing his features after a while, regaining a composed expression, though in reality his hearts were racing at everything that was happening. He listened to the Doctor's words carefully, attempting to find a loop, a crack, anything that would get him out of this. But no, what the man said was true and the Doctor knew him too well anyway, of course Master would do everything in his power to take control of anything he could get his hands on. He flinched internally, leaving his face blank except for the doubt in his eyes as he watched the other Time Lord pull down the helmet from the center console.

"Why don't you just kill me Doctor, wouldn't that be a whole lot easier." He tested, taunting the Doctor with the only weapon he had left in this short time, his words. Becoming a human against the Master's will was one wretched way to go, he wouldn't remember anything from the point after the Doctor rewrites his biology, living a life among the human race or who knows what else the Doctor had in store.

"Don't be stupid, I'm not going to kill you."

To change his person completely, why, just so the Doctor can keep him under control, despicable. He let out a sigh, he knew the Doc would go through with this idea and there was nothing the Master could do about it, "It won't matter what you do Doctor, it will never be the way it was before, you can't ever change that, never, not even you have that much power."

"I can try."

He shook his head with a wicked smirk, "The man who walks away with my body won't be me, you'll just be wasting your time, sooner or later you're going to have to change me back," he was betting on a thin line, the Doctor would change him back right? Certainly an experience as a human would alter his mind slightly if the Doctor tries to 'befriend' him, how low of him _and_ try to 'cure' his craze for power and domination, "When you do, I'll still be good ol' me."

"Whoever said I'm changing you back?"

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Author's Note (AN): For those of you who need a little refreshing, the Chameleon Arch is the device that completely rewrites a beings biology, all to be stored in a fob watch.


End file.
